You, me and the kitchen sink

We are back in America again today, I am featuring the photos exactly in the order in which they arrived. This is Tara's kitchen.

"I am a full time 33 year-old working mom in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. These pictures were actually taken in September here, when everything was still green.

I have a very small kitchen! My house is 1971 and as you will see in the first picture, I still have the original kitchen sink in "Harvest Gold". Some interesting things to point out in this picture are mung beans sprouting, my compost crock (where I put our kitchen scraps before taking them outside to the big compost bin), and my pump parts drying (breast pump). I love my big kitchen window and I leave the blinds up all year round. Out the window you can see our dog kennel. We have two large dogs.

In the second picture, you will see our dining room table and storage space (across from the very small kitchen sink area). This is where we keep fruits and veggies, pots and pans, bibs, cookbooks and many other things that will not fit on the kitchen counters. The okra, squash, and some of the tomatoes shown are from our garden.

Please don't forget to comment. A comment is like payment for the time taken to post, and in this case in sending in the photos. Many of us were enthusiastic about this series, so make sure all the photos get a good number of comments. I don't want any of the ladies sending in photos to regret joining in. Thank you friends.

35 comments

What a sweet kitchen Tara. When I was first married, over 30 years ago, my kitchen was only big enough for one person to be in at a time but I learned a lot about what is and isn't necessary. Size, as they say, isn't everything!

Tara ~ I love your art glass vase, your little unique stained glass piece hanging over your window and all of your little colorful hanging bits. You have a wonderful large window to enjoy looking out of and growing sprouts in. I love your counter with rack in your dining area and the 3 glass cannisters on top. I love seeing the colorful fruit too. Healthy and homey looking.

This is an interesting series. I think we sometimes forget that the kitchen is a work room, not a showplace. If you look at decor magazines, which I used to do, the kitchens are gleaming, fancy cabinets and granite counters but no evidence of the love which fuels the daily work of preparing meals. I love this kitchen and the others where food, tools, pans and equipment are visible. It's not "clutter", and it isn't "dirty", it's efficient and makes it easier to cook and get on with our busy lives.

Thanks Rhonda and all the women who are sharing so much of themselves with us.

I too have a 1970's kitchen sink, but in avocado green! I think I would prefer gold :) I also have a strip of counter to one side that is basically useless. And many of my kitchen items have spread into the dining room also! I like your fruit/veg storage area.

H Tara, thanks so much for sharing your kitchen with us! I love the blue glass canisters on top of your storage rack. I really love your kitchen, its fairly similar to ours and my looks of it, very homely. Have a happy festive season, V.

I love your window, Tara! Your kitchen is painted such a fresh, tranquil color (just happens to be one of my fav colors ;-). Everything looks so neat and tidy. Thank you for welcoming us into your homey haven. Happy Holidays, Holly

A lovely kitchen, so homely and welcoming. I agree with previous poster, I love this series of real kitchens, so much better than shiny magazine kitchens that always loko so cold and have no character.Thanks for sharing with us Tara :) RosieB

I love the color of your kitchen. It's a happy color!It may be a small kitchen, but it looks as though you have set it so it is efficient and very workable.Thank you for sharing your kitchen. I am getting some great ideas from all of you who share for when I finally dig in and re-do my poor tired kitchen space.

The sprouting mung beans, the garden produce, the compost bin and the breast pump...all these things say such a lot about what's important to the owner of this little kitchen. What a lovely insight into your life, Tara. Oh and I like the harvest gold sink, too- it's a nice mellow colour and looks cosy.

Wish my kitchen had some of that charm - its a half renovated mess at present. I hope to get my new bench and sink unit (1970s recycled) in this summer. Its stainless steel but has avocado green cupboards with white trim. Fortunately I like green :)

Tara, You kitchen is adorable. I love the bright blue, and all the glass ornaments around the kitchen window. That is my favorite spot in my home, and I enjoy the sun glistening though colored glass. My first apartment had a similar kitchen. These kitchens make me feel like a normal person! Real people have real kitchens not magazine photos. Thank you all for sharing your kitchens and thank you Rhonda for your wonderful blog.

I love your kitchen sink! And the formica countertops are so much easier to take care of than tile! I lived in an old farmhouse in Seattle for 2 years with the same kind of kitchen and I never missed cleaning grout. The sink was the old stainless steel and didn't have any chips like the newer ones can get from big pots, etc. New isn't necessarily improved!Blessings, Jan

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Now in my blog's 11th year, I'm still writing about the wonders of a close family and a warm and welcoming home. The subjects are many and varied here and while most of the time I write about simple home life, gardening, knitting and recipes, I also add a sprinkling of my thoughts about ageing, a small black Scottie dog named Gracie, and anything else that rocks my boat. I'm glad you found me.

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